


He's Not Ready

by bondboy68



Category: Skyfall (2012) - Fandom
Genre: Angst, one-sided 00Q, prompted fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-17
Updated: 2013-02-17
Packaged: 2017-11-29 13:46:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/687655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bondboy68/pseuds/bondboy68
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James Bond goes on a mission and dosen't come back. Everybody knew he wasn't ready.</p>
            </blockquote>





	He's Not Ready

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt send in via tumblr by harrionkarstark: He goes out on a mission that everybody knows he's not ready, mentally or physically, for, but he'd James Bond so they let him, and then he comes back to HQ in a union jack covered box.

“You were requested,” M told him, sliding the file across his desk. The agent picked it up, scanning the contents. M couldn’t help but notice the dark circles under his eyes. “007....Bond...you are allowed to turn down the mission, I hope you know. If fact, I encourage it, if you still need time--”

“I don’t need any more time.” He had that voice that he used when he had already made up his mind. M looked down and shifted some files on his desk. 

“I wouldn’t be giving you this assignment if you hadn’t been asked for by name.” Bond didn’t answer. M sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Report to the Quartermaster.” The agent nodded and tucked the folder under his arm. On his way out, M stopped him. “Bond. Are you sure?” The man turned and looked at him with hard, steel blue eyes. He nodded once, then left. 

\---

“He shouldn’t be cleared for duty.”

“That’s not for you to say.”

“I know that, but anybody could see that--”

“Hush.” Q and Moneypenny pulled apart quickly as 007 entered the floor. Moneypenny gave Q a cold, tight-lipped look. “Just make sure he’s well equipped for the job.” She walked away quickly and for not the first time Q felt a pang of jealousy at how easily she was allowed to show her concern. 

“Q.”

“007.” Q’s voice felt caught in his throat and he coughed to clear it. He looked down at his desk. 

“You have equipment for me.”

“Yes.” Q moved things around, stalling. 

“Lost it have you?” 

Q looked up, hoping that the jab would be accompanied by the slight look of amusement that the agent used to hold when he teased the Quartermaster, but his face was blank. Completely emotionless. Q swallowed. 

“No.” He took hold of a black box and opened it. “Gun, radio, poison pen, and a few explosive spheres of my own creation. I’ve installed an app on your phone to remote detonate them.” Bond took the box and snapped it shut. “Bond, wait.” Q stepped closer, dropping his voice. “You don’t have to do this.”

“I know that.” The man’s voice sounded unkind but Q didn’t let himself back down. 

“I’m serious. If you’re not ready--”

“Thank you for your concern, Quartermaster.” Bond turned away sharply and left, all eyes on him. 

\---

Everybody knew Bond wasn’t ready to back in the field. For a while it’d seemed like he was doing so well. He was smiling, flirting often and freely, completing missions quickly and efficiently. Then one went wrong. Just one. Not even something that was anybodies fault. And everything came tumbling down. Everything James Bond had pushed back and repressed came roaring up to the surface. He started to drink heavily again. He started making more mistakes, which only made him feel worse, and made everything else worse. He was put on rest for a mandatory two weeks but as soon as he was off, he was handed another mission. 

Everybody was wondering the same thing: What is M thinking? 

\---

“I’m trying to find you just give me a minute!”

_“I’m in a fucking hallway how hard is it to give some goddman directions!?”_

“I’m trying!” Q was sweating profusely. The entire department seemed focused on this mission for one reason or another. Q cursed, close to tears, as he searched through CCTV of the building and finally found Bond. “I’ve got you! I’ve got you! Turn right!” Bond followed his instruction, ducking bullets. “Next door on your left, take it.” The door was locked, but the agent burst through. “Up the stairs, to the roof.” He started to relax somewhat. Maybe he could get Bond out of this alive after all. The mission was becoming a spectacular failure rather quickly, though. 

“Alright, Bond, I need you to drop those bombs I gave you.” He heard over the mic as there was a rattle of metal falling down the stairs. “Once you get on the roof, I’ll tell you when to detonate them.” On his large screen, Q pulled up every shot of the bombs he could find and kept one area devoted to tracking the agent. James spilled out onto the roof and quickly ran the edge. He turned, pulling out his gun, facing the door where his pursuers would come out. “Get your phone ready.”

_“How do I detonate them?”_ Bond asked, holding his phone in his free hand. 

“Open up the new application. Select all units. Wait for my mark to detonate.” Q watched, waiting for the men to be at the right spot. 

_”When?”_

“Not yet, damn it.” Q held his breath, watching and waiting. “Not yet...” 

There were more of them than he’d realized. All yelling order, all headed to kill James Bond. Apparently the agent could hear them, as he stiffened on the roof. “Bond, not--”

Bond hit the button and the balls detonated. They caused quiet a mess and hit a good first wave of men, but after the initial shock had settled more just continued to run up the partially destroyed stair. 

“Damn it, Bond, I told you to wait! Shit, shit shit!” Q was typing furiously. There had to be something else, some other way to stop them. Bond was holding his gun at ready. Before Q even realized it, men were spilling out of the door, shooting. Bond took out the first few before big spots of red began blossoming on his shirt. “NO!” 

Everything came to a halt as the entire department stood in silent shock, watching through the hacked security camera as James Bond, Agent 007, was shot over and over again as he body slowly collapsed on the rooftop. 

“Turn it off. Q, turn it off!” He could hear Moneypenny behind him but he couldn’t move. One of the men was moving toward Bond’s body. He held up his gun, a crude shotgun, and shot what was left of Bond point-black in the head. Q shakily turned off the screen. 

There was silence. It stretched on for far too long. 

“Sir? Should we send the call for an evac or...something?” 

Q didn’t answer. He couldn’t get those last images out of his mind, just replaying over and over. He’d lost agents before, listened to them be killed and tortured, but he’d never lost James Bond before. He felt himself drop slowly, as the man’s body had done, sinking to his knees. 

“Sir?”

Q closed his eyes, hands moving up to grab at his hair. 

**“FUCK!”**

\---

Q stood in front of M’s desk, holding up a freshly printed letter he’d drafted that morning. He waited for the man to look up or acknowledge him. Eventually he just started speaking. “I would like to formally turn in my resignation from the services of--” 

“Like hell you will.”

Q’s eyes widened behind his glasses. They were red, from lack of sleep. He hadn’t gone home after the previous days events; just locked himself in his office and destroyed several prototypes with a hammer. He kept his voice steady, locking eyes with M. “I can no longer be in employment of an organization that blatantly cares nothing for the people--” 

“Agents die,” M shot back. “The good ones know--”

“James Bond didn’t deserve to die!” They were yelling now. “You sent him on that mission, you killed him!” 

M stood. “He accepted the risks every time he went out in the field.”

“He was not ready, he should have never been sent out--”

“He’s dead. Like a lot of other good agents. But it’s not different than any other--”

Q’s vision was turning red. He couldn’t believe M could be so uncaring. “Other agents were prepared! This completely different--”

“Well who’s supposed to prepare him then!? Who is supposed to watch and help him through the mission? Instead of blaming me as some evil mastermind, turn some of that perception on yourself. Or are you so blinded by your little schoolboy crush--”

Q’s cheeks turned red from anger, tears threatening his eyes. “That is not--”

“--for a man that would have never loved you back!” 

Silence. Q stared at M, shaking with fury. He slammed his resignation on the desk and turned. 

“Where are you going to go?” M asked calmly now. “Back to hacking? I will find you and throw you behind bars myself.”

“Fine.” Q turned back, one hand on the door. His eyes challenging the other man. “We’ll see who finds who first.”


End file.
